Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
30 September: Legal authorities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DNC) lifted the censorship on the song Mama Yemo by artist Le Karmapa, as reported by MyAfricaInfos.
The song, released on 23 September, had been censored by the National Song and Entertainment Commission from the Congo due to its representation of one of the nation’s largest hospitals.
The hospital management filed a complaint to the Commission due to the negative publicity the song brought upon the establishment. Moreover, since the artist did not follow the law, which required him to submit the song to the Commission prior to publishing it, he might also need to pay a fine ranging from 600 to 2,000 USD (511 to 1700 Euro).
The song’s censorship stirred public outcry, and Congolese musicians, politicians and members of civil society criticised the DNC’s legal proceedings around the song. Eve Bazaiba, an opposition parliamentarian, tweeted “it’s really ridiculous to censor the truth!”
Vraiment ridicule de censurer la verité! Quid de ces artistes qui chantent des insanités et dansent à moitié nus? Oui, tout Médecin ne se comporte pas tel que dénoncé, JE SOUTIENS KARMAPA! Gvt de Kin, GVT Central, la santé est l'ODD 3. Sauver Maman YEMO= sauver les congolais https://t.co/S506fYbgbK
— Eve Bazaiba (@Evebazaiba) September 27, 2020
There have been positive developments since the ban of the song. Le Karmapa appeared before a hearing on 30 September, and the censorship on the song was lifted, authorising Mama Yemo for public distribution.
